Two days after a child's fatal fall in the same house, a woman was found hanging from its balcony, bound at the wrists and ankles. Investigators called it suicide. A jury later disagreed — before that verdict was wiped away entirely.
Rebecca Zahau, 32, was found dead at a Coronado, California, mansion on July 13, 2011. Her death was officially ruled a suicide, though the case has remained the subject of intense dispute, extensive civil litigation, and a legal outcome that's more complicated than either side's public statements often suggest.
A Tragedy Two Days Earlier
Zahau was staying at the Spreckels beach house in Coronado, owned by her boyfriend, pharmaceutical executive Jonah Shacknai. On July 11, 2011, Jonah's 6-year-old son, Max, fell over a second-floor banister while in Zahau's care, suffering severe injuries. He died five days later. Zahau told investigators she had been in the bathroom when the fall occurred.
Zahau's Death
The next evening, Zahau picked up Jonah's brother, Adam Shacknai, from the airport; the two had dinner together with Jonah and a family friend before returning to the beach house, where Adam was also staying. Neighbors reported hearing loud music from the property that night. Early the next morning, Adam said he found Zahau's nude body hanging from a second-floor balcony, her wrists and ankles bound, and called 911. He cut her body down before police arrived.
A Contested Ruling
On September 2, 2011, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department ruled Zahau's death a suicide, theorizing she may have taken her own life out of grief or guilt over Max's fall. Zahau's family disputed this from the start, questioning how she could have bound her own wrists and ankles, and pointing to a cryptic message painted on a nearby door reading "She saved him, can he save her," which they said didn't match her handwriting.
A Civil Trial, and a Verdict Later Erased
In 2013, Zahau's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit that eventually focused on Adam Shacknai. In April 2018, a civil jury — applying the lower evidentiary standard used in civil rather than criminal cases — found Adam responsible for Zahau's death and awarded her family $5.2 million in damages. Following the verdict, San Diego's sheriff's department reopened its review of the case; in November 2018, the county's chief medical examiner reaffirmed the original suicide finding, stating the evidence didn't support the civil jury's conclusion. Adam appealed the civil verdict, arguing procedural errors and juror misconduct. In February 2019, before the appeal was fully argued, the two sides reached a settlement, reportedly for $600,000, that formally dismissed the case with prejudice and vacated the original $5.2 million judgment entirely. Because of that settlement, there is currently no standing legal finding of liability against Adam Shacknai; both the criminal ruling of suicide and the earlier civil verdict against him have been affected by, or reversed through, subsequent proceedings. Adam has consistently and firmly denied any involvement in Zahau's death.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Rebecca Zahau's death ruled a homicide or a suicide?
Officially, a suicide. San Diego authorities reviewed and reaffirmed that finding in 2018 despite a separate civil jury verdict.
Was Adam Shacknai ever criminally charged?
No. He was never criminally charged. A 2018 civil jury found him liable for wrongful death, but that judgment was vacated as part of a 2019 settlement, and no legal finding against him currently stands.
Has the medical examiner's ruling ever changed?
No. Despite requests from Zahau's family, San Diego's medical examiner reaffirmed the suicide ruling in 2018 and it has not been changed since.